The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for his service-connected left fifth metacarpal fracture is being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors in the previous examination.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations did not fully comply with the requirements set forth by Correia and Sharp, which require joint testing for active and passive motion in both weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing circumstances, including during flare-ups.
- Claimed conditions
- left fifth metacarpal fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2019
- Citation
- A19003359
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,549 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation A19003359.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional examinations and evaluations to address discrepancies in findings related to the Veteran's left fifth finger disability, including arthritis. The issues of service connection for the left hand and wrist arthritis are also being remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and consideration of all submitted evidence, including VA treatment records. The AOJ should also consider whether the Veteran is entitled to TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a VA examination by an orthopedist to address the issues of service connection for arthritis of the left hand and wrist and increased rating for residuals of a fracture to the left fifth metacarpal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for his left fifth finger disability is being remanded due to the need for a more contemporaneous examination and consideration of updated treatment records.
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